Supermoon Lights Up South Pole in Photo ? Supermoon Pictures

In Antarctica a supermoon lights up the South Pole. — A supermoon lights the way for South Pole workers in May 2012. (Image credit: Sven Lidstrom, National Science Foundation.)

Soon after the 24-hour darkness of Antarctic winter descended on the United States' Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole, the crew of scientists and staff overwintering there got a much-welcomed dose of very bright moonlight.

In early May, a gleaming supermoon appeared — this full moon coincides with the moon's perigee, or closest monthly pass of the Earth.

"After weeks of walking and working in the dark, or perhaps guided by the faint red light of a headlamp, we could all of a sudden see what we were doing and where we were going," wrote South Pole correspondent Sven Lidstrom in the Antarctic Sun, a publication of the National Science Foundation.

In Antarctica, the sun sets for the austral winter sometime in April, and doesn't reappear until sometime in August, plunging the continent into utter darkness.

And although the newly built Amundsen Scott Station, a gleaming, elevated building opened fully in 2008, offers far more comforts than earlier South Pole stations, no human construction can fully make up for the unending night of the frigid winter months.

Crews at Australia's Davis Station, the southernmost of that nation's Antarctic research stations, also noted the arrival of the supermoon, and said the extra light made it easier to move about the compound.

"It is amazing how small things like actually seeing what you are doing can make your day," Lidstrom wrote.

Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

For the science geek in everyone, Live Science offers a fascinating window into the natural and technological world, delivering comprehensive and compelling news and analysis on everything from dinosaur discoveries, archaeological finds and amazing animals to health, innovation and wearable technology. We aim to empower and inspire our readers with the tools needed to understand the world and appreciate its everyday awe.